Machine for filling cups with foodstuff

Abstract

A machine for filling cups with foodstuff has metering stations having metering modules provided with filling nozzles, respectively, for introducing product flows into horizontally supplied cups. A programmable control unit cooperates with the metering modules in such a way that in a filling process, by means of controlled tilting and/or lifting actions of the filling nozzles, variable filling structures are generated from the product flows in the cups.

1. A machine for filling cups with foodstuff, the machine comprising:
 metering stations having metering modules provided with filling nozzles, respectively, for introducing at least two different product flows each consisting of a different product into horizontally supplied cups, respectively, wherein the metering stations and the filling nozzle are arranged such that between two of the metering stations that each contain one of the different products, a common one of the filling nozzles is arranged that supplies the at least two different product flows, respectively; 
 a programmable control unit cooperating with the metering modules in such a way that in a filling process, by means of controlled rotating and lifting actions of the filling nozzles, variable filling structures are generated from the at least two different product flows in the cups. 
 
     
     
       2. The machine according to  claim 1 , wherein several of the metering stations receive cups in a timed sequence and the at least two different product flows, respectively, are introduced at the metering stations into the momentarily stationary cups. 
     
     
       3. The machine according to  claim 1 , further comprising a computer connected to the control unit, wherein the variable filling structures are affected by the computer correlated with the control unit. 
     
     
       4. The machine according to  claim 3 , wherein product supply devices and/or filling nozzle movements correlated with at least one of the metering modules are controlled by means of changeable program data of the computer. 
     
     
       5. The machine according to  claim 1 , wherein at the metering stations the at least two different product flows are sequentially introduced into a cup and the variable filling structures are generated from the at least two different product flows by predetermined program data, respectively. 
     
     
       6. The machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the horizontally supplied cups are supplied sequentially or parallel and are filled with the at least two different product flows to provide changing filling structures without interruption of the filling process. 
     
     
       7. The machine according to  claim 3 , wherein during operation of the machine the control unit is programmable by changeable program data in the computer. 
     
     
       8. The machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is connected to a first, a second and a third one of the metering stations arranged in a row and wherein at least four of the filling nozzles of the metering modules are provided, wherein of said at least four filling nozzles two are arranged between said first and second metering stations and said second and third metering stations respectively, and one is arranged in front of said first metering station and one is arranged behind said third metering station, wherein said at least four filling nozzles are connected by supply lines to form a row and are controlled by the control unit.